Have the demands on a modern match-day football increased during the Premier League years?
Tom de Blasis, Nike’s Football Design Director: “Yes they have because the game is faster and the players are stronger, quicker, and more skilled. The balls have to get better for two reasons. Firstly players are kicking it harder. And secondly, when players like Frank Lampard or David Bentley take free kicks, they need to be certain about exactly where the ball travels.” What do the players actually need? Thomas Sorensen, Stoke City goalkeeper: “From a goalkeeper’s point of view, you want confidence that you can make the ball do certain things and it’s not the ball doing it on its own. As a goalkeeper if the flight of the ball is not true to the strike, it’s not a confidence builder.” How did Nike’s Geo Technology improve the performance of footballs? Tom de Blasis, Nike’s Football Design Director: “It made the ball rounder and more balanced. The engineering is improved to distribute pressure evenly so the ball always responds in the same way when players kick it or head it.” Nike bel
